Corruption Probe Snares Two in Wayne County, Mich.

Wayne County, Mich.’s former deputy CIO pleaded guilty to bribery this week.

Wayne County, Mich.’s former deputy CIO, David Edwards, pleaded guilty this week of accepting $13,000 from an unnamed company through payment in two installments, local media reported.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Edwards and three other top county officials have been charged with public corruption related to what appear to be at least three separate dealings. Edwards entered a plea and agreed to cooperate with investigators in return for a sentence recommendation of between one and one and a half years in prison.

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Edwards served as the county's deputy CIO until he resigned on Thursday, April 5.

Last week, an IT contractor, Keith Griffin, pleaded guilty to fraud and has agreed to cooperate with investigators. Prosecutors claim the scheme Griffin was involved in, according to the Free Press, “bilked another county contractor, and a county health insurance program for working people, out of more than $1 million.”

As part of the investigation, former county CIO Tahir Kazmi and Zayd Allebban, the county’s former director of enterprise applications, were charged in February with extortion, theft and obstruction of justice related to perks allegedly sought from an IT vendor.